Mechanical musical instrument.



PATENTED JAN. 21, 1908.

J. A. WESER; MEGHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

. APPLICATION FILED MAR.15.1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

.mM-lll l No. 877,027. y PATENTBD 11111.21, 1908.

J. A. WESBR.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLIOATION FILED 111111.15. 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wwf/M PATENTED JAN. 21, 1908.

J. AI WBSER. MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR.15.1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

JonN A. wEsER, or NEW'YORKN. Y.

I MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

v-Specifcatinn of Letters lEatent.

' Patente Jan. a1, 190s.

Application med March 15. 1907. serial No. 362.456.

To all whom-it may concern:

Be it known-that I, JOHN A. WESER, a

citizen of the United States,l residing in the borough of Manhattan of the city of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 'Mechanical Musical In? struments, of which the following is a specication, reference being had to the-accom- .panying drawings, forming a part hereof.

This invention relates to the tracker box mechanism or mechanism for supporting and eecting and controllin the movement of the perforated music s eet which cooperates with the tracker board in pneumatic players for pianos and organs and is i particularly concerned with the means for `overrun- -when the music sheet is 30.

supporting and controlling the musicsheet and transfer rolls.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved device for shifting the music sheet roll in an axial direction for the purpose of placing either one of several sets of perforations of a multiple tune sheet in proper relation to the perforations of the tracker board. v

Another object is to provideimproved devices for checking the unwinding of the rolls respectively so that neither roll 1Dshall ein wound upon the other.

The invention will be more fully described hereinafter with reference `'to .the acccmpanying drawings in which it is illustrated as embodied in 'a tracker box mechanism of otherwise `ordinary which- 'y Figure 1 is a view front elevation of the tracker box mechanism nd adjacent por-y tions of an automatic r/ilano to which the improvements are applied. Fig. 2 is an end construction, and inelevationof the tracker box as seen from lthe left hand in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section of the tracker boxf'the music roll -being removed.- Fig. 4 is a front view vof the tracker box mechanism'and its associated parts on a larger scale and l partly broken away. Fig. 5 is an end eleva@ ,ti' on of the tracker mechanism as seen froml the right hand in Fi .-4. Fig. l6 isa detail view of aportion of t e tracker box mechanism in elevation as seen from the inside -of 4the tracker lbox looking toward the right hand 1.` Fig. 7 is -a detail plan view ofthe parts shown in Fig.- 6 and some of the associated parts, the brak;e spring being omitted. Figs. 8 and 9 are detail views of vthe supports for the left hand end of thel music rolls.

In the drawings the improved tracker box mechanism is shown as applied to an auto-v matic piano, but it will be obviousv that it might equally 'Well be applied to -a piano player independent of the piano. As lis usual in devices of this character, the perforated tracker board a is located in the tracker box a" within which'are mounted, as hereinafter described, the music sheet roll b and the transfer or winding roll c, the music sheet roll b ybeing movable longitudinally to permit the various sets of perforations of the multiple tuner music sheet d to be brought into proper relationv with respect to the perforations in the tracker board a, so that onev or another of the tunes shall be per-` formed, the Winding on roll c being sufficiently ylonger than the music sheet roll b to 'accommodate the lateral movement of the music sheet. l

. At its left hand end the'spindle t o f the music sheet vroll b rests in a socket in the end of a spindleI e which is niounted in a suitable bearing e carried by the sidewall of the tracker box. At its,outer end the spindle'ey is notched or shouldered circumferentially,

as at e2, for engagement with a flat spring e3 which is secured to the tracker box and presses the spindle aand therefore the roll b toward ythe right. The spring has a key hole slot c4, as shown in Fig. 2, and in applying the spring it is rst engaged with the spindle the larger portion of the key hole slot slipping freely over the end of the spindle, and is then moved so that the narrower pertion of the slot shall engage thev notch of the spindle, after which the spring is secured to the wall of the tracker box. This construction prevents accidental disengagement of the parts and moreover the flat spring is found to be more nearly nois'eless in operatien than the coiled springsometimes employed At the right hand end, the s indle b rests in a socket of the driving hea fand carries a key or pin b2 to engage a transverse slot for driving ,engagement with the head. n

the improved construction the driving head f is formed as a sleeve having a suitable bearing in the side wall of the tracker box, in

engageme t .which bearing it is movable longitudinally. f The sleeve has adrivingengagement with l Y li l with a driving pinglcarried by .operates with the disk to musicsheet to one side or the other as may "'20 disk g, which, when the clutch is open, is.

g. For longitudinal adjustment from time to time to bring one or another set ofperforations of the music sheet into the shaft registration with the perforations ofthe tracker board, thedriving headf is slotted circumferentially, as at f3, 1 and isI engaged loosel by Va disk h, preferably milledA on its edge or convenience in grasping,I and fixed to a screw' threaded stud h mounted 1n a.;

threadedbearingh2 carried by the end wall of the Vtracker box. A brake springt3 corevent accidental movement thereof. It' wi l now be seen that when the disk h is rasped by the fingers and rotated it willalsol e caused to move axially in one direction or the other and will carry with it-the driving head f and the music roll b, thus eeotingthe desired shifting of the b"e required. ,The driving shaft g is provided. as usual with a driving clut'chgz., l'the loose member ofr whichis provided with a ,driving gear g? and is engaged by an arm i of the clutch opprating shaft i. The shaft g also carries a rake pressed against the lframe member g? by a flat s ring g0 which bears against the end of the s aft to check the rotation of the shaft and tended 4through the bearing c2 v consequently of the music roll Ab when the music sheet is being unwound therefrom and so' prevent overrunning of the roll and too much slack in the music sheet. When .the clutch g2 is closed the pressure of the movable member against the fast member thereof moves the shaft -g against the tension ofthe'.

spring g andcarries the brake disk or collar 'g4 away from the frame member g5, thus'relieving thel shaft of the brakel friction during the rewinding of the music sheet on the mucured to thewall of the tracker .box. Outside of the wall of the tracker box the s" indlecl has' secured to it a brake disk c4L vv 'ch is pressed by the actionof the 's ringo3 u on the 'spindle against the wall o the trac rer`A` box or against the" outer endof the bearing c2, creating sufficient friction to check the backward rotation of the lroll c when the music sheet is being rewound upon the'mul sic yrollv b and thus 'to prevent overrunning of sheet.'

.driving Iclutch is close the roll and undue slacknessf of the music a clutch of",`

The roll c is d'riven by the movable member. of' which carries'a shaftdi.

of the c utch o eratin When the ngi',1 -during the 'wind-A ing-101i, theV braking frictidn which isfo'therroll'.

thev sI aftfor spindle "c.' is. moved tothe leftcarryingwith 1t,l the'brakei disk c4 and vthus relievi '.65

Wise exerted I' claim asmy invention: r

1. In a tracker ,box mechanism for auto-l matic pianos, etc., the combinationfwith'the music roll and its driving sliaftlof a driving head having a driving.engager nent'. with the on the shaft of the winding-.on

roll and ,with the shaft and movable longitudinally to shift the roll, and means engaging said head to shift the same longitudinally.

42. Ina tracker box mechanism for automatic planos etc. the combination'with the music roll and its driving'shaft of a driving head .having a driving engagementwith the roll and vwith the shaft and movable longitudinally7 said head being slotted lcircufmferentially, andadisk engaging-the slotted head and movable axially to shift the head and the roll with it.

3. In 4a tracker box mechanism Vfor aintomatic pianos etc., the combination withthe.

music roll audits driving shaft of a driving head havin a driving engagement with the roll and wit the shaft and movable longituldmally, said head being slotted circumferentially, and a screw 'threaded stud mounted :adiacentto the driving shaft and carrying a disk engaging theA slotted driving head.

4. In a tracker box, mechanism for auto-1v l 9.5 musicfroll and its driving shaft of a sleeve matic pianos A etc. the combination with the like head having av driving engagement with the roll, slotted longitudinally for engagement with the shaftxto rotate therewith. and be vmovable longitudinally with respect thereto and slotted circumferentially, and a screw threaded stud mounted adjacent to the shaft roo and havingl a disk engaging the circumferential slot lof the head. v 5. In a Atracker box mechanism for automatic pianos etc., the combination-with thev .musicfroll andv its driving shaft of a driving.

head havin a driving engagement with the 'roll and wit the shaft and movable longitudma1ly,. said head being slotted circumferentially, a screw threaded head mounted adjacentto the driving shaft and carrying a disk engaging the slotted driving head and a I brake applied to said disk. l p

6. In a tracker boxl mechanism'for automatic planos etc., the combination of a'nlusic roll,l a driving shaft therefor., a driving clutch on the shaft,- aA friction disk mounted on the shaft to cooperate with a frame member and a' fiat spring bearing against the end of the shaft member and to permit the friction disk to be .moved 'away from the framemember by the" pressure of the clutch. i l

7.,In a tracker box mechanism for automatic Aplanos. etc.,l the .cdmbination of` a ytracker box, a music roll,- a longitudinally -movable spindle mounted inithewall of the v tracker b'oxand having its outer end slotted circumferentially and adapted yto support the to press the friction disk toward the frame roll spindle, and a flat spring having a slotto cured to said shaft and ressed by the action 10 engage the circumferential slot of said spindle. of the s ring againsta ame member to ex- 8. In a tracker box mechanism for autoercise a raking action on the roll. matic ianos etc., the combination of a This specification signed and witnessed tracker ox, a Windin -on roll having its shaft this 13th day of March, A. D. 71907. mounted in the Walls of the tracker box, a JOHN A. WESER. driving clutch on said shaft, a fiat s ring Signed in the resence of* bearing against said shaft axially in ka irec- SAMUEL QTENBERG,

tion to open the clutch and a friction disk se- CONRAD HAIRIS. 

